Improvement in harvesters



lht-r UNIT D 'STA-TES PATENT OFFICE;

'ROBERT BROW'N, OF FREDERIGK, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification for-ming part of Letters Patent No. 40,395, dated October 27, 1863;

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT BROWN, of Frederick, in the county of Frederick and State ot' Maryland, have' inventedcertain new and useful improvements in Grain and Grass Harvesters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of' the same, reference being had to the accom pan yin g drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of said harvesting-machine, Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the same. Figs..3, 4, 5 represent detached Views, hereinafter to be referred to. Figs. 6, 7, 8 represent \'iews of the cutting apparatus of my machine.

My invention consists, first, in the combination, with the angular side pieces of the main frame',of two short wheel-axles, whichsupport the driving-wheels ot' the machine; also, in the combination of clearers, which are attached to the lower sides ot' the sickles, with the open guard-fingers, having Spaces under 'and to the rear of the cntting-edges ot' the blades for the purpose of Clearing the guard-fingers from damp grassor othermaterial which tends to clog the machine.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the main frame of the machine, to which the tongue or pole B is rigidly attached. The braces G, which support the seat D, are also secured to this frame. The main frame A consists ot' the longitudinal bars 1, the shape ot'which is shown in cross-section at Fig. 4. These side pieces are bolted to the 'front cross-tie, 2, and are braced together near the rear by means of the hraces a b. ,By this means I obtain a frame of a very simple-and cheap construction, which may be made of Wrought-iron,` and therefore ot' comparatively light material; but the principal advantage in this construction is that the rear end of the frame is open, and therefore the swinging frame E, to which the cutting apparatus is attached, may be easily secured at almost any point on the bars 1, there being nothing to obstruct its movement at the rear end ot' the frame. The braces a and b, which areintendedto impart steadiness to the main frame, do not iuterfere with the action of the frame E, as the brace his above its limit of motion, and the brace I) prevents it from movingdownward beeven ground, it being supported inits lowest position by the brace b,which prevents it from descending farther than it is inten ded,according to the construction of the machine. :The finger-bar G is secured to the head d of the shaft' H by means of the bolt c, and said finger-bar may be raised and lowered by the 1ever arrangement commonly used in harvesting-machines for that purpose, in connection with a rope or-chain, which is secured to the shoe-plate I ot the finger-bar, said lever arrangement .and one of-the driving-wheels being left' off on the drawings, as they would cover other parts which it is essential to show thereon.

The axles K of the driving-wheels are secured to the Stationary frame A in the following manner: The upper end of the axle is flattened, so as to fit against the horizontal part' x of the bar 1, while the butt-end comes up close to the vertical party of said bar.. A stirrup bolt, g, which enters a corresponding groove on thecircumference of the axle, is then passed around it, and is secured to the part9; by

means of the screw-nuts S. The axle K, being snugly fitted on the parts w and y, cannot move sidewise, and constitutes a cheap and simple construction for harvesting-machines, reducing the weight of the machine by using two short axles instead of one long one. This feature is of great importance in harvesting-machines in which a hinged cutter-bar frame is used within the main frame, as by the application of the two short axles which extend outside of the main frame no part of said axles obstructs the free motion of the inner hinged frame. To raise and lower the grain end of the cutting apparatus for the purpose of regulating the length at which the grain is to be cut, I make the grain-wheel L adjustable and use the following device: M represents the shaft of the swivel-wheel. To this shaft is secured the slotted aro h. The piece 'i, which supports the grain-wheel L, is pivoted at k to the shaft M, and its arm 3 may be secured at any desired 'position on the are h by means of the set-screw 4, which passes through the slot of the arc h. Thus the grain-wheel may be raised or lowered to cut the grain high or short, l work against the edges u of the guard-fingers,

represents cutters which are secured to the lower side of the blades n.

When the'sickle-bar and knives are placed in their proper position within the guard-flm gers the cutters p work within the groove in the guard, which is formed by the projections q and r, and the grass, which tends to clog the i machine, works out under the cutters and to .the rear of the cutting-edges and passes out through the openings m, which are constantly kept clear by the action of the cutters p, which thus preventing the machine from clogging by damp grass or other material getting in be tweeu the cutting apparatus,

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, what I claim herein as new, and

y ROBERT BROWN.

lVitnesses:

A. L. EADER, J. M. HARDING. 

